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By Peter Akinbo.
Our series on Nigerian stars who featured in their numbers for foreign clubs return this week, with Italian Serie A giants Inter Milan the focus. PETER AKINBO looks at eight Nigerians who were once home at the Lombardy-based club
Nwankwo Kanu (1996-1999)
Kanu spent three years at Inter Milan after he joined them in 1996 from Ajax for $4.7m, before he moved to Premier League side Arsenal in 1999.
The summer he moved to Italy, he captained Nigeria to a gold medal win at the Olympics, but soon after returning from the Olympics, Kanu underwent a medical examination at Inter, which revealed a serious heart defect, and it was believed by doctors that his career was over. He had a successful surgery to replace an aortic valve, and did not return until April 1997.
Kanu only appeared in 12 games for the team, scoring only once before joining the Gunners.
Taribo West (1997-1999)
Retired defender Taribo is one of few players to have starred for fierce city rivals Inter Milan and AC Milan. Taribo joined Inter from Auxerre in 1997 and stayed until 1999 when he joined AC Milan. He appeared in 44 games for Inter, scoring once, the winning goal in extra time against Schalke 04 in the 1997/98 UEFA Cup quarter-finals. He then got sent off in the final against Lazio, as Inter claimed them Europe’s second-tier title.
The next season, Taribo made 21 league appearances, as the club missed securing a spot in UEFA competitions.
In the 2000 winter transfer window, West switched to crosstown rivals AC Milan and made his debut March 24, 2000, coming on as an injury time substitute for Andriy Shevchenko in the 2-0 win over Juventus. On May 14, 2000, West managed to score his only goal for Milan in a 4–0 victory over Udinese.
Obafemi Martins (2001-2006)
Martins’, whose best playing days were undoubtedly at Inter, was signed by the Italians in 2001 for €750,000, and in his first season he scored 23 goals for the youth team, helping them win the Campionato Nazionale Primavera in 2001/02 season. His form for the youth side led to his first-team debut the following season, starting against Parma December 22, 2002 in a 2-1 win.
During this season he was given his first UEFA Champions League appearance by manager Héctor Cúper, entering as a substitute against his future employers, Newcastle United, at St James’ Park. He then scored his first Champions League goal against Bayer Leverkusen to secure Inter’s place in the quarter-finals; footage of his celebratory somersaults were subsequently used by UEFA to advertise the following season’s competition. He scored again in the semi-final against arch-rivals Milan, but ended on the losing side on away goals to the eventual winners. In Serie A, he scored once in four appearances.
Martins signed a long-term contract with Inter in 2005, which ran until 2010 and was worth around €2.5m annually. By scoring in the 3-1 win at Anderlecht in the 2004/05 UEFA Champions League group stage, Martins became the first-ever teenager to score in three consecutive Champions League seasons. He was also instrumental in the team’s successful run in Coppa Italia, scoring six goals, including a hat-trick against Bologna, as Inter emerged winners. Martins amassed 22 goals in 45 matches across all competitions, setting a new personal best; with his good form earning him a spot in Nigeria’s 2006 Africa Cup of Nations squad.
Although he had some success with Inter, scoring 28 goals for the club in 88 league games as well as 11 goals in European competitions, he was sold in August 2006 following the arrival of two new strikers Argentinian Hernán Crespo and the Swede Zlatan Ibrahimović.
Isah Eliakwu (2004-2006)
Midfielder Eliakwu was recruited by Inter in 2004 but never played for the Nerazzuri in the Serie A before being loaned out to fellow Italian sides Ascoli and Triestina until his contract expired in 2006, following which he signed a new three-year contract with Triestina.
He actually received a first team call-up in 2003/04, but his only appearance came outside the league January 13, 2004 in a goalless draw with Udinese in the 2003/04 Coppa Italia.
Obinna Nsofor (2008-2011)
In the summer of 2008, Nsofor moved to Inter from Chievo Verona for a €1.2m transfer fee on a three-year contract. English club Everton attempted to immediately sign him on loan, but were unable to secure a work permit for the player. Inter manager José Mourinho described him as one of Inter’s best talents for the future.
The fast striker only played nine games and scored one goal before being loaned out to Malaga.
Obiora Nwankwo (2010-2011)
Nwankwo began his career with Lagos-based Eco FC, from where he joined Inter in 2009. At first, the youngster was a part of Inter’s Primavera squad, but he made his first-team debut in a UEFA Champions League match against Tottenham in London, coming on as a substitute for the injured Sulley Muntari in the 53rd minute.
The defensive midfielder only made four appearances for Inter before moving to Parma following a disappointing spell.
Joel Obi (2010-2015)
Inter signed Obi in 2010 and he stayed with the club until 2015. He made 50 appearances before being loaned to Parma for the 2013/2014 season.
Following his impressive displays in Inter’s youth team, he was promoted to the Black and Blues’ senior squad by Jose Mourinho. Obi made his Inter debut on September 29, 2010 in a Champions League group stage game against Bundesliga side Werder Bremen.
After his inability to command a regular place, he was sent on loan to Parma in 2013. However, he returned to the Giuseppe Meazza after just eight matches. On July 2, 2015, he joined Torino for €2.2m fee on a four-year contract.
Victor Moses (2020)
Moses signed for Inter on a six-month loan deal from Chelsea with an option to buy January 23, 2020. He was one of three former Premier League players to join Inter in the January window, alongside Ashley Young and Christian Eriksen. He made his debut January 29, 2020, coming on as a second-half substitute for Antonio Candreva in a 2-1 home win over Fiorentina in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals. He made his Serie A debut a few days after, starting on the right in a 2-0 win at Udinese.
He made 12 appearances for Inter and finished runners-up in the Europa League.